What have we done?

Because of you ... we've been able to help Israel's most vulnerable, stimulate economic recovery and strengthen resilience in Israel these past few weeks.

Trauma support and counseling
Strengthening support to 22 communities hit hardest by the conflict
Relief and support for Israel's bravest - IDF soldiers, hospital workers, and more
Economic recovery for small Israeli businesses
Helping the disabled and most vulnerable in the line of fire

... And much more.

Here's one look at the work we're supporting, from our colleagues in JDC ... if you supported the Israel Emergency Campaign, this is what we're able to do because of you. Not too late to give.

And if you supported the Annual UJA Campaign (ready? We're about to start again) you should know that we're able to do this because of the infrastructure you helped put in place.

So ... thank you.

Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has*

I think that some people look around the world and see obstacles and problems and despair. And others look around them and see challenges to be faced and overcome. Some people change the world every day.

There are lots of things you can do to help Israel right now. The best way is to donate to the annual campaign and the Israel Emergency Campaign – they help us support Israel’s most vulnerable, with trauma counseling, strengthening infrastructure, reinforcing volunteers and emergency support.

You can also show your creativity and inspiration. That’s what Maxine Schwartz has done. You can get her beautiful bracelets and help Israel at the same time. 100% of her profits go to the Israel Emergency Campaign. She’s raised over $18,000 from over 500 people.

If you want to be inspired by her impact, read the comments and reviews she receives too.

People like Maxine change the world and make it better. Every day.

The quote is by anthropologist and author Margaret Mead: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."

Using our names

"Many Irish Jews," said the Jewish Museum curator to me, "came here by mistake.  They came from Poland and Lithuania, and when the ship captain called out 'Cork,' they thought he said 'New York.'
So they stayed."

I'm not sure about the historic truth of the statement, but it makes a nice story. I've spent the last few days in Ireland and it's been a fascinating experience.  There are countries where we say to American Jewish tourists "don't identify as Americans." There are others where we say, "don't identify publicly as Jews." There are even some countries that love us, and we jokingly tell Canadians and Australians to pretend to be Americans.

Ireland is different.  Warm, kind, friendly. Tolerant and beautiful.

But in Ulster, Northern Ireland, there was something else too. Decades of the "Troubles" have carved a deep chasm in society.  The murals are everywhere, the memorials, the weight of history. I went to the second-most bombed hotel in the world, the Europa (#1 is the Mumbai Hilton).  And I toured the worst areas of sectarian divide, the "Peace Wall," the Orange marching areas, and more.

There are a lot of Palestinian flags draped from windows in the Republican areas. A lot of notices and slogans calling for Palestine to overthrow Israeli rule.

At the Republican museum, amidst Soviet-made weaponry and pro-Palestinian notices. I met with Sean, a big, strong middle-aged Irish Catholic man with a massive tattoo of Che Guevera on his forearm. "Can I take a photo of your tattoo?" I ask him,  "Sure," he said. I was waiting for him to ask me where I'm from - since I was ready to proudly wear my Union Jack/Magen David/Stars and Stripes on my sleeve. Or on a kippah.*

But he didn't.  So I asked him why he had a tattoo of Che on his arm. "Because it's a symbol. It's a symbol of what we stand for in the fight against imperialism, oppression and American colonialism. Because we have to stand up against the British and everything they've done to us. And we have to support the oppressed peoples against tyranny, like the Palestinians standing against the Israelis."

On the one hand, there's a lot there that I would have loved to debate and discuss. On the other hand, five minutes in the middle of a tour group probably won't do it. There was a series of discussions in foreign-policy circles a few years ago about why Irish Republicans support the Palestinians, and why many of the Irish Protestants support Israel. The bottom line was that in the end, you're going to project a lot of your own identity onto anything you read or watch anyway.

On the western hills surrounding Belfast is a huge "Viva Palestina" sign made out of painted white rocks. As we drove back to Dublin that evening our (Irish Catholic) guide pointed the sign to me. "It's not really about the Palestinians at all. Nor about the Israelis," he said. "It's about us. It's our story. We're just using your names."


*someone should totally make these.

You should never remain neutral

I have friends and colleagues and acquaintances who followed the conflict. Good people, kind people. People who are wise and honest.

Several of them have told me in recent days that empathy for suffering in Gaza didn't/doesn't make you anti-Semitic or anti-Israel. Or pro-Hamas.

They’re right. This isn’t about them. 

I know it isn’t because these are people who just generally are empathetic.

But there are others. And this is about them.

It’s the first time I've heard them speak about suffering, and war crimes, and disproportionate use of force. They didn’t speak up when 700 Syrians were killed the other week in a 48-hour period. Nor did they protest when hundreds of thousands were killed in countless other conflicts around the world and the Middle East. They didn’t complain about ‘disproportionate’ kill-ratios when‘their’ troops were involved.

Hillel Neuer, Executive Director of UN Watch, said it best the other week … “If in the past year you didn’t cry out when thousands of protesters were killed and injured by Turkey, Egypt and Libya, when more victims than ever were hanged by Iran, women and children in Afghanistan were bombed, whole communities were massacred in South Sudan, 1800 Palestinians were starved and murdered by Assad in Syria, hundreds in Pakistan were killed by jihadist terror attacks, 10,000 Iraqis were killed by terrorists, villagers were slaughtered in Nigeria, but you only cry out for Gaza, then you are not pro Human Rights, you are only Anti-Israel.”

If you care about democracy and freedom, there was a clear right side and wrong side in this conflict. 

In Ambassador Derner’s words: "You should never be neutral between a democracy that shares your values and a terror organization that hates everything you stand for."

The Flight and the Flag

This date is a special one. It holds so much promise, and so much heartbreak.

Twenty years ago today, Jordan’s King Hussein flew over Israel for the first time. He flew over Jerusalem and spoke to Prime Minister Rabin, saying how beautiful the city looked. At the same time, Israeli and Jordanian teams were cutting a hole in the Arava border fence to create a proper crossing. I was a student in Hebrew University. To make ends meet, I was a counselor for American students in the one-year program while preparing for the Foreign Ministry cadet course to be a diplomat. We were sitting in a dorm room - Americans, Israeli Jews and Palestinians - watching the live news coverage, excited, proud, inspired. 

This is what peace should be like. It happened today.

Forty five years ago today, Yigal Shochat and Moshe Goldwasser were taken prisoner by the Egyptian army when their F-4 Phantom was shot down in the War of Attrition. Goldwasser died in captivity, Shochat lost a leg and was later released. Their capture also happened today.

Since retirement, Shochat dedicated himself to peace, working as a doctor in Palestinian territories. He also led a public debate on the “black flag” concept of conscientious objectors, air force rules of conduct and the refusal to serve in the territories. I disagreed with much of his philosophy, but I was proud that a vibrant democracy can have a tough dispute about the rules of war. I was proud that our political system could encompass dissent and debate. And I was proud that Israel’s soldiers were at the frontline, defending our freedom and country.

May the memory of Lt. Hadar Goldin, and all those IDF soldiers, and all civilians killed in this tragic war, be for a blessing. May we see peace soon. And may our soldiers come home soon safe and sound.